Schwarzenegger says Bloomberg would be 'excellent' candidate

June 20, 2007

Updated Aug. 21, 2013 1:17 p.m.

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IN AGREEMENT: From left, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg chat at a conference focusing on local and state efforts to encourage bipartisanship in Los Angeles on Tuesday. The Associated Press

IN AGREEMENT: From left, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg chat at a conference focusing on local and state efforts to encourage bipartisanship in Los Angeles on Tuesday. The Associated Press

LOS ANGELES -- Republican Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger on Tuesday predicted New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg would be "an excellent" presidential candidate. He stuck by the statement even after learning a few hours later that the mayor had withdrawn from the Republican Party.

"The governor was surprised to learn of the mayor's decision," said Schwarzenegger spokesman Adam Mendelsohn. "He looks forward to continuing their strong working relationship. The governor has always said it doesn't matter what party you are a member of, what matters is serving the public."

In a statement issued in New York, Bloomberg announced that he'd switched his party status from Republican to unaffiliated, a move certain to be seen as a prelude to an independent presidential bid that would upend the 2008 race.

He gave no hint of the impending party change in a joint appearance with Schwarzenegger in Los Angeles, when the mayor joked about a potential presidential ticket with the celebrity governor but again said he had no plans to enter the 2008 contest.

Schwarzenegger said the mayor - who shares the governor's maverick brand of politics - would be a worthy addition to the large field. At the same time, the governor said the current fields needs to "be focused on the things that are really important, rather than to attack each other."

"I think he would make an excellent candidate," the governor said, with Bloomberg at his side. He's "all about fixing problems and creating a great vision for the future."

Bloomberg later joked about forming a presidential ticket with Schwarzenegger and dickering over who would lead it.

"There would be a fight to see who would be the presidential candidate and who would be the vice presidential candidate," Bloomberg said. "He would want to arm wrestle for the top spot; I would want to check the Constitution."

The California governor, a native of Austria, can't run - the Constitution permits only citizens born in the U.S. to seek the nation's highest office.

In the midst of an intensely partisan presidential campaign, the governor and mayor sounded a common theme at a University of Southern California conference: the best route to a prosperous future is by healing the partisan divides that have paralyzed Washington.

They had a simple message for the fingerpointers, name-callers and entrenched partisans in American politics: get over it.

"As far as I'm concerned, there is really no more urgent issue facing America today than .... bridging the political divide," Schwarzenegger said in a speech where Bloomberg was seated in the audience.

"There is a totally reasonable, centrist approach" to issues that have languished in Washington, such as immigration, Schwarzenegger said.

On Monday, Bloomberg covered similar ground. At an appearance at Google Inc. headquarters in Mountain View, he criticized the presidential debates, saying they had done little to inform voters. In a Los Angeles speech kicking off the USC conference, he said Washington was sinking "into a swamp of dysfunction" because of partisan gridlock.

"We can turn around our country's current, wrong-headed course, but only if we start basing our actions on ideas, shared values and a commitment to solve problems without regard for party," Bloomberg said.

Bloomberg and Schwarzenegger, who share the cover in this week's edition of Time magazine, have drawn attention for breaking from the White House to take on issues from climate change to stem cell research.

Last year, Schwarzenegger and Bloomberg agreed to collaborate on efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, saying they cannot wait for the Bush administration to act on global warming.

The USC conference, hosted by Bloomberg and Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, was planned to explore ways to improve the political dialogue in the country.

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